Synod group calls for gender-equality mechanisms in Church workplaces
The final report also proposes a greater role for women religious in selecting bishops who oversee consecrated life and clearer agreements between dioceses and religious institutes. The General Secretariat of the Synod on Tuesday, Sept. 8, published the final report of Study Group 6, which presents concrete proposals for renewing relations among bishops, consecrated life, […]
Love is not a feeling but a decision, Pope Leo XIV tells couples
In the foreword to a new edition of the youth catechism YouCat, on the subject of love and marriage, Pope Leo XIV goes to the heart of the vocation to love: serving through a generous gift of self. Pope Leo XIV reflects on human love in the prologue to the new edition of “YouCat: Love […]
Pope Leo XIV warns of Western ‘paradox’ on individual freedom
The pontiff said people can feel less free to be themselves even as autonomy is increasingly treated as absolute. Pope Leo XIV warned Wednesday of a “paradox” in Western societies where a growing emphasis on individual freedom coexists with an increasingly widespread fear of being judged. Speaking to bishops from various countries who are friends […]
Pope Leo XIV: Respect for human dignity ‘excludes self-centered isolation’
Addressing pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square, the pope continued his catechetical cycle dedicated to the Second Vatican Council’s constitution Gaudium et Spes. VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV at his Wednesday general audience urged people to take responsibility for the dignity of each human person and to embrace an identity centered on gift of self. “This […]
Pope Leo appoints coadjutor bishop for Puerto Rico’s youngest diocese
A coadjutor bishop serves alongside the current diocesan bishop and succeeds him after his retirement. Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday appointed a coadjutor bishop for the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao, the third bishop nomination for the island of Puerto Rico in under three months. Father Gerardo Antonio Vargas Cruz, OFM, as coadjutor will serve alongside Bishop […]
China ordains 18th bishop under Vatican agreement
Archbishop Andrew Ding Yang’s episcopal ordination is the eighth held during Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, though not all eight bishops were appointed by him. Father Andrew Ding Yang was ordained Tuesday, Sept. 8, as archbishop of Chongqing in southwestern China, a see that had been vacant since March 26, 2001. It was the fourth episcopal […]
Mary’s birthday: The Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her immaculate conception. The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her immaculate conception […]
Leo XIV: Mary’s simple presence — and her Son within her — moves all of history
The pope celebrates Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano ROME — It was shortly after 5 p.m. local time when Pope Leo XIV arrived at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel, awaited by thousands of people along the road and welcomed by his fellow Augustinians. Not everyone […]
Pope Leo XIV calls for peace in Ukraine after Russian attacks
The pontiff also reflected on the importance of fraternal correction among members of the Church. Pope Leo XIV on Sunday deplored the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine and voiced hopes for peace amid U.S.-led efforts to end the war. “With a sorrowful heart, I have followed the news of the latest violent attacks that have […]
Art: Where Beauty Meets Faith
Art has always revealed something about how a society understands the human person, the world and humanity’s place within it. During the Renaissance, that relationship underwent a profound transformation. The rediscovery of classical culture and the rise of Humanism brought renewed attention to human experience, reason and dignity. Yet within the Catholic world, this new […]